ASHHRA eNews Pulse

Dear ASHHRA Members,

What an interesting end to the year we're having...in the brief pause of the holiday season, we all are pondering: will the economy continue to improve? Will health care reform continue as planned? Will Congress compromise more? And on the local level, each of us is anxiously looking to the new year to see if our budgets will hold, if the census remains steady, and if our quality improves.

Throughout all of this, ASHHRA will continue to be there to provide the knowledge and community that we each need to continue to thrive in our careers. Stay tuned, and stay connected! 2011 will be as interesting as 2010 was.

Happy Holidays to all!

Jeff Payne, SPHR
Vice President, Human Resources
Lakeland Regional Medical Center
1324 Lakeland Hills Blvd
Lakeland, FL 33805-4500
863-687-1045
863-284-1971 (fax)

 

ASHHRA, in collaboration with PwC Saratoga, brings you the NEW and ENHANCED ASHHRA HR Metrics Tool. Register NOW to participate in the 2011 HR Metrics Tool Survey. You may now also download the definitions of the new and enhanced tool.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/products/metrics.shtml to view the full article online.

 

The AHA sent a letter to OSHA regarding a petition to develop and enforce a standard on residents’ duty hours. Read the letter here.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/advocacy/index.shtml to view the full article online.

 

This prestigious award, co-sponsored by ASHHRA and AHA Solutions, honors the memory of Gary Willis, an ASHHRA board member, who passed away in 2010 after a battle with stomach cancer. The Gary Willis Leadership Award (GWL) recognizes mid-level managers and directors who have made outstanding leadership and operations contributions to their organization. The award is for managers who are looking to advance their career through continuous educational opportunities promoting operational excellence. Award winners will receive one of two $2,500 scholarships for health care HR education.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/awards/gary_willis_leadership.shtml to view the full article online.

 

Companies with employees in France should find interest in the recent decision of a French labor tribunal upholding the discharge of two employees for posting "denigrating" and "rebellious" comments about their employer on a Facebook page (Barbera v. Société Alten SIR; Southiphong v. Alten Société SIR (Prud’hommes de Boulogne-Billancourt, Nos. RG-F-/326/343), November 19, 2010.
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2010/12/09/discharge-for-facebook-postings-by-employees-in-france/ to view the full article online.

 

An admissions representative claimed that her employer discriminated against her based on her age when it failed to promote her to a director’s position.
SOURCE: HR.BLR.com

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Discrimination/Age-Discrimination/Rep-Passed-Over-for-Promotion-Claims-Age-Bias-/ to view the full article online.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review what has been called the largest employment class action in U.S. history – Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes. The class of plaintiffs is estimated to include approximately 1.5 million former and current female Wal-Mart employees seeking monetary relief that could amount to billions of dollars in back pay.
SOURCE: HR Hero

Visit http://blogs.hrhero.com/hrnews/2010/12/06/supreme-court-agrees-to-review-massive-discrimination-case-against-wal-mart/ to view the full article online.

 

By Kathy Lustila, RN, PHR
HR Manager, Employment Services
Lakeland Regional Medical Center

Today’s current challenging economic conditions, which have reduced compensation and insurance coverage for many, combined with health care reform measures, which provide greater access to care, are driving consumers across the United States to hospital emergency rooms and health care clinics at record rates. The situation at Central Florida’s Lakeland Regional Medical Center mirrors the rest of the nation. Growing numbers of people are heading to hospitals and health care facilities for clinical care, surgeries, medical procedures, lab tests and therapy which is fueling the need for skilled health care talent – both clinical and non-clinical – to meet this demand for services.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-nwl/pdf/LakelandRegional.pdf to view the full article online.

 

Derek Irvine, coauthor of the book, Winning with a Culture of Recognition (Globoforce Limited, 2010) and vice president of Global Strategy for Globoforce, suggests that it’s time for employers to take another look at employee recognition. "It’s no longer just a nice-to-have a program; recognition can be, if deployed strategically, a massive profit generator and a massive strategy deliverer for organizations when it is done right."
SOURCE: HR.BLR.com

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/HR-Administration/HR-Strategy/Time-to-Reinstate-Employee-Recognition-as-Strategi/ to view the full article online.

 

Many companies avoid collecting any type of survey data from employees in November or December. They do so because they have learned through experience that scores are lower if you do surveys during those months.
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2010/12/07/are-you-staying-on-top-of-the-holiday-effect-with-your-workforce/#more-11248 to view the full article online.

 

With 43 percent of employers reporting concern that their top talent may leave their organizations when the economy improves, workers may have more leverage in compensation reviews. Thirty-one percent of employers said they are willing to negotiate 2011 salary increases with current employees. Half (51 percent) plan to leave some negotiating room when extending initial offers to new employees, with 21 percent willing to extend two or more offers to the same candidate.
SOURCE: HR.com

Visit http://www.hr.com/SITEFORUM?&t=/Default/gateway&i=1116423256281&b=1116423256281&e=UTF-8&application=story&elementID=1289411086544 to view the full article online.

 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued the 2011 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. The standard mileage rate for business miles driven will be 51 cents per mile, up from 50 cents per mile in 2010.
SOURCE: HR.BLR.com

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Compensation/Mileage-Allowance/2011-IRS-Mileage-Rate-Sees-Slight-Increase/ to view the full article online.

 

This social network thing is an HR pro’s dream, right? A few mouse clicks, and you can find out anything and everything about that job candidate. One small problem: You could also be setting up your company for some serious legal problems.
SOURCE: HR Morning

Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/why-checking-applicant%e2%80%99s-facebook-page-could-come-back-to-bite-you/ to view the full article online.

 

"In workplaces around the country, December typically brings religion to the forefront. Anything from office decorations to holiday parties to arranging time off can open the door to debates about spirituality and religious observances. Holiday cheer, if not managed properly, can drive away workers and, worse, lead to lawsuits."
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2010/12/10/weekly-wrap-religious-holidays-at-work-tiny-pay-shock-and-bad-behaving-superstars/#more-11654 to view the full article online.

 

Candidates have long known how to dance around the standard interview questions to make themselves look flawless. What they often don’t realize is that you don’t care that they aren’t perfect – you want employees who are honest about setbacks and willing to learn from experience. Here are four questions, courtesy of Ben Dattner of Dattner Consulting, that can help reveal a candidate’s true character.
SOURCE: HR Morning

Visit http://www.hrmorning.com/get-past-stock-responses-with-these-key-interview-questions/ to view the full article online.

 

This tumultuous year in business has transformed human resources strategies in organizations of all sizes. From its vantage point at the forefront of these HR trends, CanopyHR Solutions, an innovative human resources group based in Orange County, California, offers up its insights on 2010's trends and how some will continue to reshape the way successful businesses operate in 2011.
SOURCE: MSNBC

Visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40458385 to view the full article online.

 

A recent survey sponsored by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance and conducted by Harris Interactive points out how highly employees value such benefits as life insurance, disability insurance, and such less common insurances as those covering critical illness, accidents and cancer.
SOURCE: HR.BLR.com

Visit http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Benefits-Leave/Employee-Benefits/Voluntary-Benefits-Important-to-Employees/ to view the full article online.

 

When I was on HR Happy Hour recently talking about workplace wellness, the first point I wanted to make was that we need to stop calling efforts to improve employee health a "program." Why? Because doing so narrows the scope and usefulness of what companies are trying to achieve and how successful they are – and creating a culture of wellness is the big-game hunting.
Source: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2010/11/30/if-you-really-want-it-to-work-stop-calling-it-a-wellness-program/ to view the full article online.

 

With open enrollment time upon us, many workers are reeling from yet another year of increased health care costs. But you may be able to make up some of the financial hit by paying more attention to a benefit you likely already have – your employee assistance program. That's the employer-paid service known for providing counseling on grief and substance abuse issues. But "it's so much more," says Aoifa O'Donnell, chief executive of National EAP, based in Ronkonkoma. She suggests workers check with human resources or call their employee assistance providers to find out about services that could keep a little more money in their pockets.
SOURCE: Newsday.com

Visit http://www.newsday.com/columnists/other-columnists/money-fix-job-benefit-may-help-trim-health-costs-1.2512497 to view the full article online.

 

The national health care reform legislation passed in March 2010 is comprehensive and could have a profound impact on the delivery of health care services. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Collectively "PPACA") is far reaching. Its impact is already being felt by health care providers nationwide, with implementation of the Act’s requirements to continue through 2018 (although most that would impact health care providers will be in place by 2015). The new measures and requirements bring a new and different environment for physicians: Accountable Care Organizations, increased reliance on mid-level providers, more patients, changing reimbursement methods, data collection, and are just the beginning. With these changes comes some new physician liability risk and, as always, we encourage physicians to be proactive.
SOURCE: Physicians News Digest Online

Visit http://www.physiciansnews.com/2010/12/10/the-need-for-true-patient-accountability/ to view the full article online.

 

What makes the top leaders stand out it is not their skills, or experience. Once you get to compete for the top jobs, everyone has impressive skills and lots of relevant experience. So how do you differentiate? It’s also not just about execution. Execution is critical, for sure. Yes, you need to be able to set a compelling agenda and deliver on it, but again, that’s entry stakes – it doesn’t make you great.
SOURCE: TLNT

Visit http://www.tlnt.com/2010/12/08/3-traits-that-make-top-leaders-great/ to view the full article online.

 

By Matthew Cornner

Too many health care organizations invest significant time and resources in executive leadership development in the abstract hope that someday, those in whom they are investing will emerge as strong leaders and make significant and tangible contributions. In a world of scarce resources, this is no longer viable. Executive development must enable organizations to realize results now, and better prepare our leaders to lead lasting change in the future.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=133165&issueID=22499 to view the full article online.